Memory Days
by milkpan
Summary: When the new gold saint candidates first arrived in the Sanctuary, Saga wasn't sure if it was going to be better, or worse there in the Twelve Temples. For one thing, his best friend Aiolos sure seems excited! Chapter 2 UP!
1. Chapter 1: The First Day

**A/N: Wow. A saint seiya fic. Been years since I wrote one, and suddenly I have an urge to do it again. This is something I always wanted to do hoho! The timeline is when the Golds are first brought to Sanctuary. Please keep in mind that only Saga and Aiolos had earned the gold cloths. Enjoy! XD**

 **Chapter 1: The first day**

"Hurry up, Saga!" A certain brunette said excitedly, tugging at the hand of his blue-haired friend.

"I'm coming!" came the latter's answer, "you're running too fast, Aiolos! You're going to drop Aiolia!"

"Nonsense!" the brunette said back, grinning, "nii-san has you perfectly safe. Right , Aio?"

Saga watched as the little boy in the brunette's other arm nodded enthusiastically, his green eyes bright. "I want to meet new friends!"

"Just can't wait for the new trainees, can you?" Aiolos laughed, "well, so do I! It's finally going to be a lot more fun around here!"

It was an early morning in Sanctuary, but already did Saga feel like it was going to be a long day, especially with his best friend as energetic as this. He knew Aiolos was looking forward to this day since weeks ago, but the Gemini just could not comprehend…what's there to be so excited about a bunch of kids?

Nevertheless, he followed without another word as he and the brunette brothers reached the grounds just outside Aries temple, where the Pope was waiting, surrounded by a bunch of small figures, all with multi-colored heads and big round eyes.

"Hello, you two," Shion greeted with a smile.

"Good morning, lord Pope," Saga greeted politely, slightly bowing.

The violet eyed man smiled. "Saga, what did I tell you about honorifics? You can forget all formalities when we're alone."

The Gemini was about to answer, only to be interrupted by Aiolos, who chirped cheerfully, "Morning, Shion! Are these the new kids? They're all so adorable!"

Aiolos squatted to set his younger brother down, but did not get up so he could literally see eye-to-eye with the newly arrived boys. They all cast him a wary – but rather shy – look, and took a step back.

"Yes indeed," Shion said, "excluding Aiolia, there are now nine candidates for the gold cloths. Our scouts had searched all over the world, and have handpicked boys who show lots of potential in combat and cosmo-handling."

Saga watched as his friend held his hand out to a young boy with turquoise hair, who looked about to cry and backed into the crowd.

"That's little Camus," Shion whispered to the Gemini saint, "he's very shy. The first time I came to see him, he didn't even want to get out of the room!"

"I see…"

"Well," Shion said a little louder, so Aiolos could hear him, "training will start tomorrow, when their mentors arrive. In the meantime, Saga, Aiolos, I want you to help these kids get settled in their temples, alright? And whenever you take them somewhere, don't forget to count. Nine children is a big group, and if one or two goes missing it would not be as obvious as in a group of three or four."

Saga gave a nod. "Yes, Sir."

Aiolos started counting right away, but then frowned. "Hey…I only count eight."

Shion blinked. And then his eyes brightened as if realizing something, and turned around to look.

"Ah, there you are, Mu."

Aiolos and Saga peered behind him, and they saw a pair of round jaden eyes staring back at them, which belonged to a small pale boy with lavender hair and dots instead of eyebrows that reminded them immediately of their grand pope. The boy was clutching Shion's tunic tightly, his legs slightly shaking.

"This is Mu," Shion explained, picking up the boy, "he's always tottering behind me that sometimes completely I forgot he was there! Say hi to Aiolos and Saga, Mu."

The little boy held his hand up. "Hi.." he said quickly, and instantly turned his head and buried his face on Shion's shoulder, causing the pope to chuckle.

"He's also one of the shy ones," Shion whispered.

"Oh he won't be soon enough," Aiolos grinned, "not after he's got some training, that is!"

Saga sighed, his green orbs resting on the children before him, who were mostly crowding Shion and whining to get out of the heat. Few weeks earlier, the ex-Aries had summoned both he and Aiolos to his chambers , calmly saying, "I need you two to do me a favor." It was then that both gold saints received the news that the remaining gold cloths would have masters soon, and they were to help with the training. Of course, core practice would be handled by each candidates' respective mentors, but self-training were to be supervised by both him and Aiolos. Because no matter how big a potential the candidates have, they were all still children between five to eight years of age, and they – like all other children – need to be constantly watched over.

"Oh, and also," Saga remembered Shion adding, "I'll have you two handle their needs, okay? Like, if they have trouble bathing themselves, or something."

Saga groaned. Compared to himself, who found the idea rather troublesome, Aiolos had been more than happy to carry out the order. The latter had always complained, whining how the Sanctuary feels lonely with just two gold saints (and one trainee) around. Besides, Aiolos has Aiolia. Seeing that the future Leo was about the same age as the newly arrived kids, the Sagittarius saint would at least have some experience on how to handle children – unlike him.

Saga wasn't sure if accepting this task would be as exciting as his best friend made it sound to be. According to his imagination, it would be like having a lot of younger brothers!

And it was trouble just having _one_ , too.

 **A/N: Will add funny bits and sometimes touching ones in the following chapters. Please look forward to it, thankyou for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2 : Happiness

**Chapter 2: Happiness**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Saint Seiya.**

As a saint himself, Saga knew how hard the training was. 1000 sit-ups, 500 push-ups, and a 10 lap sprint around the Sanctuary every day. Calling it _exhausting_ is an understatement. It's _hell_ under the pretense of exercising.

"LUNCH TIME!"

"RACE YOU TO THE HALL!"

"THE LOSER HAS TO WEAR PIGTAILS FOR A WEEK!"

"EEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW NOOOOOO!"

Thus, Saga could not – by all means – understand why the kids could have so much energy left after such rigorous torture. What baffled him more was the fact that only a week had passed since they arrived, and yet the kids have completely adapted, doing most of the stuff they were told to with bursts of childish enthusiasm and curiosity….although the aftereffects weren't always pleasant.

A dozen colorful heads dashed up the staircase with one big WHOOOSSHHHH!

The Gemini sighed as he slowly walked up to the Main Hall. The colorful heads were already seated at the long table, waiting eagerly with big smiles plastered on their faces – all except for some. In the few days the kids had been here, Saga had begun to know what each was like at heart. He hadn't been able to fully memorize all their names yet, but he pretty much knew who's like what. Most of them stood out, afterall. For example, the blondie who always had his eyes closed. Of all the kids, that one struck him most.

While the others were pretty much chattering and playing with each other, that particular child had remained calm, absolutely silent, with not a sliver of childishness evident on his figure. When Saga first saw him, his first response was to raise an eyebrow. Shion had chuckled at that, and explained to him that the blonde was a unique one. He might have the body of a child, but his home country India had claimed he was Buddha incarnate – making him man closest to the gods. Saga had no idea how in Athena's name a seven-year-old can stand closing his eyes 24/7, let alone being someone with enough spiritual power to be closest to the gods. And for heaven's sake, he could not remember his name. That kid had a name longer than the daily morning prayer Shion made them memorize.

"Hey, Saga!" A childish voice shook him out of his thoughts.

"'Y-yes?"

"Where's the food?"

Saga turned to a boy with dark hair and large eyes, staring up at him. Ah, _Aldebaran_. He was the largest one in the group and had the largest amount of physical strength, but he was a gentle giant. He didn't have the heart to hurt a single ant, and preferred buying a new jar of candies when his old one was devoured by swarms of them. He didn't have a name when he first arrived, so they decided on "Aldebaran", after the star in his guardian constellation, Taurus.

Saga smiled gently. "Patience, Al. Aiolos should be here soon with a pot of soup from the kitchen."

"Yeah, fatass!" Another voice shouted, "can't you wait for at least five seconds?! All you do is eat, I bet'cha weigh heavier than all of us combined, huh?!"

Saga rolled his eyes as the spokesperson burst into laughter. He didn't need to look to know that was Deathmask. The latter was the most mischievous one of all. He was a dictionary of cuss words. He could not stand still, was impulsive, impatient, and absolutely rude. One thing Saga could give him credit for was that he was one of the best in physical combat. Nobody knew his real name – he had insisted on being called Deathmask upon arrival. According to Aphrodite (the one that looks like a girl), "Deathmask" was the name of his favorite villain in a TV show.

"Hey now, Deathmask," he chided, "what did we say about table manners?"

"Oh bullshit. Manners ain't gonna get cha anywhere in life, so what's the point!"

Is Saga a patient boy? Yes. Is he patient to Deathmask? Well…barely.

"Actually," Shura, who was sitting two seats after Deathmask, chipped in, "manners do matter in life. No one's gonna give you anything if you don't ask nicely."

"That," Saga said, "is absolutely true." He looked at Shura appreciatively. "Thankyou."

"You're welcome."

Both Deathmask and Shura are two of the older kids – while the rest are about seven, Deathmask and Shura are nine years old. Yet Saga did not know how their personalities could be any more different. Shura was one of the level-headed ones, who thought logically, is calm, and is…well, normal.

"Sagaaaa….I'm hungry!" Another voice whined.

"Me too.."

"Where's the foooodddddd…!"

Before he knew it the whole table erupted with whines and pestering voices. Saga wanted to teleport himself out of the mess right then and there, but goodness knows he can't. As much as it was a pain in the butt, babysitting was now part of his job, and as a noble man Saga promised himself he would see it through the end.

He was, however, saved from having to handle the situation by Aiolos' grand entrance.

"GENTLEMEN!" The Sagittarius beamed, dramatically slamming the hall doors open, "I applaud you for your patience! All this while, you must be starving, yearning, crrraaaavinnggg for food! However, wait no more! For today, this moment, I present you with the most delicious soup you have ever tasted in your whole sinful life-"

Saga choked.

"-I present you…"

By now, all the heads in the table are directed at the boy, their eyes wide and brimming with excitement and anticipation.

For a moment, Aiolos paused. His brows furrowed, as if contemplating something. "…Uh, I present you…well… **SOUP**!"

And with that cheery note, stepped aside, allowing a horde of maids to enter the hall, carrying steaming hot pots and ladels and bowls and all sorts of dining utensils. The trainees cheered, instantly getting up and storming toward the maids, who shrieked in horror as if they were kitchen rats.

Quick as a flash, Aiolos interjected. "Whoa there, one at a time, guys," he laughed, "remember what we told you? Line up first, _then_ you'll get your food."

"AWWWWW…!"

Aiolos made a tut-tutting noise. "None of that, now. Come on, zodiacal order!"

Saga watched as the little kids shuffled around to form a line, muttering under their breaths about stupid rules. Mu, being a trainee for Aries, was first. He silently held out his bowl, his large, emerald eyes eying the soup as the maids poured the liquid onto his container. Then, with a soft "thankyou" turned and left for his seat. Aldebaran's eyes sparkled as he held his bowl of soup, treating it as if it were solid gold. One by one the trainees went back to their seats, lapping up the food hungrily. And for a moment the hall was silent, for each and every one of them was too busy eating to talk.

Saga sighed as Aiolos came to stand beside him.

"That was a dramatic entrance," the Gemini started.

"Why, thankyou!"

"It's not a compliment."

"Oh, come on, Saga!" Aiolos laughed, slapping the latter cheerily on the back, "they're kids! You have to be a bit dramatic, or else they'll bore easily."

The Gemini eyed his friend, irritation starting to kick in. "So? Saint-training isn't exactly entertainment, in case you hadn't noticed."

"That's the point. You know how hard the training is. Shouldn't we, as their adopted brothers, at least try to make it lighter for them, even just a little?"

When Saga didn't answer, Aiolos sighed. He looked at the table, where the kids had just finished their meals and was chattering noisily with each other. "They're orphans, Saga. Naïve and innocent children who lost their families. It is bad enough they have to fend for themselves, and then suddenly without warning they were dragged to this barren place, demanded to undergo rigorous training for reasons they do not understand." The Sagittarius sighed again, his dark chocolate eyes solemn. "If I can do anything…anything at all to make them at least slightly happier than they were before arriving here…I'll do it. Whatever it takes."

Saga remained silent, absorbing his friend's words. _Make them happier, huh?_ He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when a small hand tugged on his shirt. He looked down at the child, who had large eyes, tousled blue hair, and a mischievous grin.

"I want seconds!" the child grinned, holding up his bowl.

Almost immediately, Saga frowned. "You know you're not supposed to-"

The Gemini paused when his friend gave him a pointed look. At that, Saga sighed. "Oh, alright. But just this once…um…" _What was his name again?_

"Milo," Aiolos whispered helpfully.

"Right. Just this once, Milo."

The said child gave him another toothy grin. "YAY!"

"AH! NO FAIR! I WANT SECONDS TOO!"

Aiolos turned to the voice and gasped. "AIOLIA! You don't need to stand on the table to prove your point! Get DOWN from there!"

"But I want seconds! That's cheating! MILO'S CHEATING!"

"If that's the case, I want seconds too!" Aldebaran bellowed.

"Me too!"

"Me too! Me, me!"

"I'M STILL HUNGRY!"

Now, it was Saga's turn to give Aiolos a pointed look. To his irritation, however, the latter just laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "Okay! Whoever wants seconds, come right over here! But line up, and Aiolia, if you don't hop down from the table in three seconds I'm not going to give you any!"

With an excited chatter everyone crowded around Aiolos, visibly ignoring his instruction to line up. Saga stood by the side, shaking his head. That's why he preferred to stay by the rules…it prevents chaos. Like this. Despite the thought, however, the Gemini found himself smiling.

 _They sure seem happy, though._

 **A/N: Deepest of apologies for those who waited for an update! Things have been going on, and actually won't be settled until October. Fortunately enough I managed to make time to write this second chapter, but I am sorry to say the next one won't be ready until at least past first week of October. Regardless, thankyou for putting up with me! Special thanks to the favs and reviews on the previous chapter, it warms my heart to know you guys appreciate my writing. I hope you enjoyed this second chapter as much as I do. Thanks a bunch!**


End file.
